Anchored at 24°34.1905′N, 82°10.1428′W.

This is the start of Phase V -- The Dry Tortugas.

The first leg of the trip to the Dry Tortugas from Key West is to Boo Boo Key. This is a patch of mangroves they call "The Marquesas", about 26 miles west of Key West.

You exit the "Bay" outside Key West via the North West Passage. Head west about 15 miles, and then divert south through 8' deep "sand waves". As you get closer to the mangroves it gets shallower.

You'll never get anywhere near shore. I'm told it's an awkward dinghy ride because the 10" deep water stretches out for hundreds of yards. A stand-up paddleboard (SUP) seems the only way in.

The anchorage is in a channel with a reversing current. This means it can be rolly if the current and wind don't agree.

We had no wind during the day. Most of the night was flat calm, also. We didn't feel the rumored rolling.

When the wind did pick up after midnight, I had to adjust halyards to silence the slapping. I saw the Milky Way from horizon to zenith. The sky is almost empty of light pollution. Key West is a tiny loom of light on the Eastern Horizon.

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